It has been 30 years since I was the parent of a pre-schooler and searching for age-appropriate fun stuff the entire family could watch. PBS came to the rescue then, and does so again today.
Nature Cat, the latest adventure from PBS Kids, debuts at the unusual time of 6:50 a.m. Wednesday on AETN. If you and the small fry aren't up that early, the premiere encores at 2:50 p.m. Wednesday and Friday.
The animated series is designed for kids ages 3 to 8, with the educational goal "to encourage children to explore and develop connections with the natural world," be it "the wonders that are as close as their own backyard or the local park."
Aside: I love TV shows that encourage kids to quit watching TV and go outside. That's always a positive thing.
PBS notes that digital content related to the series, including games, streaming video, hands-on activities and parental resources, will be available soon at pbskids.org.
If you've never explored the PBS Kids website with your crumb-cruncher, I highly recommend it. Heck, explore it even if you don't have kids. It's for the child in all of us.
PBS brags that Nature Cat features "an all-star lineup of comedic actors," but that won't mean anything to your child. In fact, I doubt if many grown-ups outside of Saturday Night Live fans will recognize the names.
SNL stars Taran Killam, Kate McKinnon and Bobby Moynihan portray best friends (in order) Nature Cat, Sqeeks and Hal. They are (in order) a cat, a mouse and a dog. Kate Micucci (Raising Hope, The Big Bang Theory) plays Daisy, their bunny buddy.
Nature Cat is his nom d'Aventure. In real life, he's just Fred, an ordinary house cat who dreams of exploring the great outdoors in his Robin Hood-esque costume.
In each episode, once his family leaves for the day, Fred transforms into Nature Cat, "backyard explorer extraordinaire." And it's in his backyard where action-packed adventures full of bravery and nature investigation await Fred and his friends.
There's just one minor problem. Nature Cat's heart may be in the right place, but he's still just an ordinary house cat with no real instincts for the outdoor world.
That makes for plenty of what PBS labels "aha" discovery moments and humor, "all while inspiring children to go outside and play the show."
For the record, Nature Cat was created by Muppet voice actor David Rudman (he does Cookie Monster, Baby Bear, Scooter and Janice) and his brother, writer Adam Rudman.
THERE'S MORE
Wait. As long as we're looking for family friendly fare, how about a Christmas special?
I know. I know. It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but this is TV, and Hallmark Channel was the first to kick off the season way back on Oct. 31.
PBS Kids has an extensive slate of Christmas-theme episodes in the weeks ahead involving all the favorites -- Dinosaur Train, Arthur, Peg + Cat, Curious George and The Cat in the Hat.
But first, let's just look at what's on the horizon this week.
Wild Kratts: A Creature Christmas debuts at 6 a.m. Wednesday on AETN, with encores at 2 and 4 p.m. Wednesday (as well as a dozen more times before Christmas).
In case you're out of the loop, the Kratts are naturalist brothers Chris and Martin, co-creators and producers of the animated Wild Kratts series, which stars animated versions of themselves.
In this 50-minute special, it's Christmas time and the Wild Kratts are taking a break from creature adventuring to celebrate the holiday.
Ah, but when they receive an alert that their favorite creatures are suddenly disappearing around the globe, their holiday party quickly turns into a rescue mission.
Our intrepid heroes must race against time to thwart their greedy arch-rivals' most dastardly scheme yet. Will the Wild Kratts be able to travel to the ends of the earth to accomplish their mission?
Can they do it? Can they?
My money is on the Wild Kratts.
"In [the special], we showcase a variety of creature powers, helping our viewers discover that animals can help them explore many different science concepts," says Chris Kratt in a PBS news release.
"Kids will also learn about conservation of wildlife as the Wild Kratts team races against the clock to rescue baby animals and return them safely home," Martin Kratt adds.
And a handy reminder. You can have more fun with your kids at the website pbskids.org/wildkratts. Be sure to check out the Creaturepedia.
Style on 11/22/2015